Predicting the Best Player Each AL Central Team Will Add for 2026
Here is one bold move that each team in the AL Central can make this offseason to shake up the division for next year.
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In an offseason that’s already produced its fair share of major headlines in the opening weeks, the hot stove is only going to get that much hotter now that the Winter Meetings are in the rearview mirror.
Not every team is in the same position this offseason. Some contending teams will be bullish buyers, while some will opt for a more reserved approach. Some teams could be undecided in their direction and could look to make more in-between-the-margins-type moves. And some teams will be in rebuilding stages where they look to sell off major assets and thus will try to fill out their rosters with new names.
What do they all have in common, though? They all will need to be active to some degree, as it’s almost impossible to field the exact same roster from one year to the next.
In a new series here at Just Baseball, inspired by MLB.com’s “finding a perfect free-agent match for every team,” our editorial staff sat down and found the biggest addition every team could feasibly make this offseason.
Obviously, these predictions were made within reason. Every team would love to sign a Kyle Tucker or trade for a Tarik Skubal, but not every team has Tucker-type money or assets worthy of landing a Skubal. So we’ve taken into account financial constraints and team directions when pairing teams with players.
Today, we’ll focus on the AL Central, a division that includes a variety of different teams in varying situations, from postseason hopefuls, to teams in search of rebounding back into contention, to teams either entering or already well within rebuilds.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in and look at who each team could add to really spice things up this offseason ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Tigers Resolve Their Glaring Third Base Hole in Style With Alex Bregman
This shouldn’t be a surprise here, as this isn’t the first offseason some have advocated for a move to the Motor City for Alex Bregman.
In fact, it wouldn’t be the first time in the last two offseasons that the Tigers pursued Bregman, having reportedly offered him a more lucrative contract than the one he accepted with the Boston Red Sox last winter, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
Still, Scott Harris and Co. cannot let last winter’s disappointments cloud their vision this winter, as their current third base situation warrants a talent like Bregman now more than ever.
After a season where former first-round pick Jace Jung never came close to taking the reins at third like some would’ve hoped, the Tigers deployed a series of names to fill the gap.
However, in 2026, after a season in which the Tigers managed to build upon their shocking 2024 postseason success with yet another trip to October, finding a permanent fixture at the corner makes too much sense.
Zach McKinstry may have made 85 appearances at third for the Tigers, but his positional versatility as a true utility man is what makes him so valuable.
Then, there’s Colt Keith, who FanGraphs’ RosterResource currently lists as Detroit’s starting third baseman, but as a natural second baseman who converted to a first baseman after the team signed Gleyber Torres last winter, do the Tigers really want to go through the process of having him undergo a third permanent position switch?
And from a sheer offensive standpoint, this Tigers lineup could stand to be lengthened a bit, as beyond their core of Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Spencer Torkelson and Gleyber Torres, the question marks start to add up – and even some of those core names come with reasons to be skeptical about them.
For a team that looked as strong as the Tigers did before something of a collapse down the stretch, their offense looked all around mediocre. Their 103 team wRC+ sat in the middle of the pack of the league at 12th.
They also sat within the middle third of teams in AVG (17th at .247) and OPS (12th at .730), as well as runs scored and RBI (11th at 758 and 724, respectively).
None of these totals is bad by any means, but after two straight seasons of postseason baseball, now seems as good a time as ever to elevate this lineup into the upper echelon.
This is where Bregman comes in, as after a “down” 2024 season, he returned to looking more like the Astros version of himself that the baseball world had grown to appreciate.
In 114 games with the Red Sox, he slashed .247/.360/.462 with 18 HR, 62 RBI and a 125 wRC+.
Is he going to be the same 40+ HR power threat he was in his MVP finalist season in 2019? No.
However, what he does bring to the table is smart hitting prowess brought on by elite plate discipline.
Bregman’s 14.1% K-rate placed him in the 88th percentile of hitters this past season, while his 15.0% whiff rate and 19.8% chase rate placed him in the 92nd and 95th percentiles, respectively. And his 10.3% walk rate was nothing to scoff at either, ranking in the 73rd percentile.
For a Tigers team that held the fourth highest strikeout rate while also ranking in the middle of the pack in walk rate (T-13th at 8.4%), Bregman would be a godsend.
Detroit is also at a point where they need to really need to decide if they’re going to push the chips forward and believe in this squad that, from an offensive standpoint, is definitely worth believing in.
After all, with the Guardians showing they can continually find ways to defy the odds and win ball games and a Royals team looking to make a push back to the postseason in 2026, the Central isn’t getting any easier.
Signing Bregman would be a clear indication that Detroit is ready to take this offense to the next level.
Guardians Add Much-Needed Outfield Impact at Budget-Conscious Price With Jo Adell
Despite the fanfare down the stretch, the Cleveland Guardians are a team that has some pretty immense needs.
None of those needs is bigger than the outfield, as few teams in baseball can say they have a worse outfield situation than Cleveland, which will only get worse if the various rumors of Steven Kwan’s departure come to fruition.
The Guardians were one of just two teams in baseball to have an outfield unit produce a wRC+ total below 80, as their 77 wRC+ clip bested only Kansas City in 2025.
Major changes need to be made, but looking back at how Cleveland traditionally operates in the offseason, they don’t often break the bank.
This means they could look to get creative and pursue a trade for a more affordable name, rather than get into a free agent bidding war for a solution. After all, with six names on our top-100 prospects rankings, they have one of the better farm systems to deal from.
Enter Jo Adell.
The Angels’ CF/RF would already seamlessly fit into Cleveland’s lineup, even if the Guardians decide to keep Kwan. And his versatility would also allow the Guardians to choose precisely where they think top prospect Chase DeLauter would fit better in the outfield during his first regular season in the show, with Adell able to take the other spot.
Beyond his logistical fit, Cleveland would be getting a bat that checks a lot of boxes that were left unchecked last season.
From a run production standpoint, they ranked 20th in HR and 28th in RBI. Adell just so happens to be coming off a season where he belted 37 round-trippers and drove in 98 runs.
Cleveland also happened to sit dead last in baseball last season when it came to hard-hit balls, with a 35.8% hard-hit rate. Adell happens to be one of the better big league bats at making hard contact, with an 88th percentile hard-hit rate of 50.0% in 2025, along with a 96th percentile barrel rate of 17.3% and an 86th percentile average exit velocity of 91.7 mph.
From a financial standpoint, for a team that prefers to take the frugal route, it’s hard to argue against a guy who’s only just entering his arbitration years this winter.
Trading with the Angels may not be straightforward, especially after their head-scratching deal with the Orioles that sent away Adell’s long-time outfield partner, Taylor Ward.
That being said, with no shortage of assets, the Guardians could get this deal done, and it may not take a myriad of top prospects to do so.
Adell was great last season, but he still constitutes a bit of a gamble, given his 112 wRC+ last season marked his first above-average season in the majors in the parts of six years he’s been in the show.
This means the Angels may be willing to hedge their bets and sell high, but that high may not be too high for the Guardians to match.
White Sox Sign Ryan O’Hearn To Complement Young Offensive Core
Finding a free agent solution for a team in a rebuilding phase like the Chicago White Sox, whose largest free agent contract in history is the $75 million deal they gave Andrew Benintendi ahead of the 2023 season, wasn’t easy.
Their current roster features a cast of young promise headlined by Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth, but their veteran pieces lack real consistency…or frankly quality.
While Benintendi finally crafted an above-average season last year for the first time in a White Sox uniform, a 103 wRC+ is not something to celebrate all that much when you’re the owner of the most valuable contract in franchise history.
Then, Luis Robert Jr., now 28, has been nothing but consistently inconsistent the past two seasons, posting identical 84 wRC+ marks. Luckily for the White Sox, rumors are still swirling about a potential trade, meaning Chicago might be able to re-coup some assets for him, which could, in turn, open up both a place in the lineup and some payroll for another veteran addition.
And perhaps that veteran name could be Ryan O’Hearn
Now, at first glance, why would an All-Star bat want to head to a perennial rebuilding team?
Well, in the case of O’Hearn, it might be the perfect opportunity for him to get paid. Chicago isn’t a small market rebuilder and has the money to spend on complementary names like O’Hearn.
Then, there’s the fact that as good as O’Hearn was in 2025, he’s still largely unproven as a top hitter. He may have posted above-average seasons every year since he arrived in Baltimore back in 2023, but he’s only had one-half season above a 120 wRC+, as after he got dealt to San Diego, he reverted back to his good-not-great numbers with a 112 wRC+.
Given the fact that he’s also a first baseman, corner outfielder and designated hitter, his numbers may not be enticing enough, compared to those who play similar positions, for contending teams to really show him both the term and the money.
This is where the White Sox could be a great fit for O’Hearn. They not only have the payroll to give him a lucrative multi-year deal, but they could provide him the opportunity to play regularly and prove 2025 wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
This could also mean he could end up getting traded to a contender, which would be beneficial to him from a winning standpoint and could offer the White Sox the opportunity to bring in some more assets to further fuel this rebuild.
Twins Bank on All-Star Upside, Sign Veteran Slugger Adolis García
Like the White Sox, the Twins also find themselves in a situation that leans more towards a rebuild than competing in 2026, especially after their epic fire sale at the trade deadline over the summer.
This makes finding a dream addition difficult when the focus is likely on building up the future. However, one way to fuel a rebuild is finding buy-low options with great upside to take a low-risk gamble on in hopes they can rebound with a change of scenery and then can become prime flip candidates at the trade deadline.
This is where someone like Adolis García could come into play, after a couple of poor seasons resulted in the Texas Rangers non-tendering him last month.
There’s still a lot to dream on here with García, who will surely be looking for a place to get as much playing time as possible to prove his All-Star slugger form from 2023 is not simply stuck in the past.
For the Twins, this would certainly be an exciting bat to bring in to hit alongside their young core. García is still at the very least a 20 HR threat, having belted 19 in his down season last year. And at his best, he’s a hitter capable of threatening 40 homers with a .500+ SLG and a well-above-average wRC+.
On top of this, he’s a Gold Glove-caliber defender in right field, having posted 16 DRS in right field in 2025, along with above-average marks in terms of OAA and FRV.
Entering his age-33 season, García wouldn’t project to be a piece for the future for the Twins. Rather, he would be an asset they could deploy to buy time for the likes of top outfield prospects Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez, and then possibly flip for assets if all goes to plan.
Royals Swing Big, Trade for Jarren Duran To Build Outfield Around
Rounding things out with the Royals, there may not be a team with a more glaring need for outfield help than Kansas City.
Of all outfield units in baseball in 2025, none posted a lower wRC+ than Kansas City’s bunch, as they only managed to muster a measly 73 wRC+.
They currently don’t have a real solution in left field. Jac Caglinaone figures to be a fixture in right field, but likely only on a platoon basis after his uninspiring 46 wRC+ showing in his first taste of major league ball. Kyle Isbel is a glove-first center fielder.
If J.J. Picollo and Co. are going to make a splash this winter, it seems as though the outfield is the most logical area to do so.
As a smaller market organization, it’s all but a certainty that they won’t be in the running for free agent outfield titans like Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger. So this means the trade market is the more likely route they take.
And why not swing for the fences and go after one of the most coveted names on the outfield trade market in Jarren Duran?
He’s an All-Star caliber bat on his best day who’s posted above-average offensive seasons in his past three years in Boston and would immediately slot in as the everyday left field option in Kansas City.
From a sheer lineup perspective, the fit couldn’t be better. Not only would he fit seamlessly at the top of the order among core names like Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez, but he would also address the team’s long-time needs in the leadoff role.
Until Mike Yastrzemski added a semblance of stability after the trade deadline last summer, the Royals seemed to have no answer in the one-hole. As a whole for the season, they only saw a .247 AVG and .711 OPS from that spot.
With 108 games as the Red Sox’s leadoff man in 2025, Duran is more than qualified to fill that role in Kansas City in 2026 and beyond.
From a Red Sox standpoint, given their crowded outfield mix that also features Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, they certainly have a surplus of talent they could afford to deal from. Luckily for the Sox, the Royals happen to be in a similar scenario with starting pitching, an area in which Boston could always use further upgrades.
This trade partnership just seems too strong not to project big things from.
Written by
Caleb Moody is a contributing writer for Just Baseball and has been covering topics across Major League Baseball with them since he started as an intern…